


Who Needs Logic, I Have You

by InTheShadows



Series: Marvel Polyship Bingo 2020 Fills [7]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AKA, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Attempt at Humor, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Defying Stereotypes, Don't copy to another site, Hellhounds, Multi, OT6, POV Outsider, Pack, Platonic Relationships, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Unicorns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-19 03:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheShadows/pseuds/InTheShadows
Summary: Steve stares at the scene in confusion. It doesn't make any sense. No matter how many times he sees it, it never does. It shouldn't work either, but it does that too. Sure, not believing stereotypes is one thing? But this? This is just ridiculous. How ever heard of a unicorn being part of a pack of hellhounds? At least they're happy. That's all that matters in the end.But still - what?
Relationships: Tony Stark/James "Bucky" Barnes/Loki/Ava Starr/Nebula/Gamora
Series: Marvel Polyship Bingo 2020 Fills [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066109
Comments: 6
Kudos: 110
Collections: Marvel Polyship Bingo 2020





	Who Needs Logic, I Have You

**Author's Note:**

> This came about because I've been wanting to use/see different shifter forms/supernatural creatures in fic. You always read about the more common ones, but not the others. Please don't try to make sense of this either, it's crack for a reason. (But then why do I like this strange, strange pack so much?)  
> For my Marvel Polyship Bingo square B4/tie

“I... don’t understand it,” Steve says, staring at the scene before him with an expression that screams confusion. 

Beside him Clint shrugs, “I don't think anyone does at this point - not even them. Don’t give yourself a headache trying.” 

On his other side Natasha pats his arm. “It’s not supposed to.” 

Steve frowns. “Aren’t you supposed to be able to read people? Expert assessor. How can you  _ not _ understand that?” 

She shrugs. “Does anything with Stark make any sense?” 

There is that. Tony has a unique talent of bringing chaos to even the calmest of settings. He doesn’t even have to try - it just...  _ happens _ . Things are always ten times harder to understand when Tony gets involved. Still. This doesn’t make any  _ sense _ . It hasn’t since it first formed. Aren’t packs supposed to? 

He continues to watch the scene out in front of him. There, out on the lawn, the pack of hellhounds continue to play as if they are all puppies. Big, murderous, terrifying puppies, but still puppies. Their black fur all blends together making the appearance of an unending pile of fur. Then, in the middle as always, the single flash of white as the unicorn happily plays with them. Tony. 

Tony, the unicorn shifter, in with a pack of hellhounds. 

Now Steve knows a lot of the shifter stereotypes are just that. It’s never a good idea to put too much stock into them. After all, how long has he known Bucky? They’ve been best friends since forever, of course he knows hellhound stereotypes are a load of crap. 

But then Bucky didn’t start off as a hellhound. He had been a wolf, like Steve, until, well - It was only after he escaped that he came back a hellhound. Came back - different. Not a bad different and it is understandable, considering what he went through. Steve has never held that against him. Could never. He had been too relieved to have his best friend back again in any form, no matter what his shift was. 

But he came back different. Darker. Wary and half feral at times. It was easy to see where some of those stereotypes came from. It was an honest relief when Bucky reached out to Tony. Sure, part of him had been jealous at first, but still that meant Bucky had someone he was comfortable with. Someone who could calm his panic attacks. When he first returned, he had been nervous, uneasy around Steve, but not Tony thankfully. It meant there was someone who could be another pack member that he was comfortable with. 

Bucky had never been able to explain why he liked Tony so much in the beginning. Why Tony was so safe. According to him Tony was peaceful. That had been the best he could do. It is laughable really because Tony is anything but peaceful. He is manic and full of life and restless, always moving, always doing something. He hates silence and never shuts up unless he has to.

Peaceful? Not so much. 

Steve is hard not to put it down to another stereotype. Because unicorn shifters are supposed to be peaceful - and wise, majestic, gentle, calm. None of those things describe Tony in any form. Still he is happy that Tony was able to help Bucky when he couldn’t.

And then the others joined. First was Loki, who was almost as messed up as Bucky, if better at hiding it. Then Gamora and Nebula, but who had their own issues. Next was Ava, who Tony brought in himself. All hellhounds, all traumatized in some way, all dealing with issues - and all drawn to Tony. Every last one of them was drawn to Tony as if it didn’t go against every stereotype, every study, every lick of supposed common sense ever thought, written or uttered.

Hellhounds - vicious, ruthless killers. 

Unicorns - pure, innocent beings of light. 

There isn’t a reason they all should have centered around him, yet they did. They formed a pack, with Tony at the very center. The glue that holds them all together. It doesn’t make any sense. 

It’s cute to watch though. He’ll never admit it to any of them - he’s attached to life and limb after all - but it is. Tony tends to bring a lightness to them that they’ll never show anywhere else. With him, it’s easy to forget just how dangerous they can be. 

But woe to any that dare to threaten Tony. The result - isn’t pretty. Protective is putting it mildly. Far too mildly. And innocently. There’s usually blood involved, if the person doesn’t learn their lesson in approximately five seconds. If they’re lucky. 

That doesn’t mean it isn’t adorable to see these supposedly - and proven - vicious hounds act like any other puppies playing. He has an entire sketchbook filled with scenes just like this one. Well hidden, because again he is attached to life and limb. Not even Bucky knows about it. 

One of the hounds woof, a deep, chilling sound. Tony just whinnies back, like a laugh, and jumps over them. He runs off and the others give chase. The most innocent hunt ever performed. The sounds are both terrifying and happy as they run. 

It still doesn’t make any sense. It probably never will. But does that matter as long as they are happy? No. No it doesn’t. 

He should definitely take Clint’s advice now though. His head aches just from trying. 


End file.
